My Shaman leveled up as Enhancement, and went Resto to raid in Molten Core and BWL.

When it came time to level up again, he went Enhancement again.

Reaching 70 he had a choice. Heal or Cast. I already played a Tank, so I decided I’d play a Caster for the alt/2nd main.

Because getting my hands on Enhancement gear I’d have to convince a Hunter I needed that set piece (Desolation), I’d have to be running in Heroics to get access to it, and frankly I’m dumbfounded that there are so many well geared, raiding, Alliance Enhancement Shamans. They certainly took the myth and ran with it, never once stopping and asking themselves the foolish question “Since we can heal, we ought to heal,” or worse be told by their Guild Master “Since you can heal, you will heal. Since our Priests are all Shadow now.”

There was a blog, a bit back, called Shamanistic Rage. All about life as an Enhancement Shaman that was raiding. And all the advantages they brought to a raid. And all the gear they had via raiding that I’d never see. This was a Draenei player living the dream, a god in the myth of OP Shamans. They wound up going Resto.

And when I’m not laying down the lightning bolts to the best of my ability in Alterac Valley, I’m used as luncheon meat in the other battlegrounds, lately Eye of the Storm. Oh, I get as often as I’m gotten so no regrets there. But still… “My bologne has a first name, it’s B-L-A-C-K. My bologne has a second name it’s H-O-O-F—F. I have to BG every day, and if you ask me Why? I’ll say Cuz Blackhoof has a way of being P-W-N-E-D to get the loot he wants.”

The wife played an Enhancement Shaman with my Protection Warrior, her DPS rocked, but she’s Elemental now, and loving it. Enhancement Shamans actually bother me when I’m tanking. They tend to be massive, furry, and in the way of my vision. Y’all get to the back and single target kill the skulls, k? (Rogues have sense enough to do it from behind, and Arms Warriors simply off-tank their own targets.)

Anyway, back to Shamans. “Look to the gear to see what Blizzard is expecting from us.” I’ve always said this. What does Blizzard think Shamans are doing now? Elemental. Look at Tidefury, the five piece Dungeon 3 set. That’s not a Healing set. There’s healing pieces out there if you know where to look. There’s even a second, eight piece, Elemental psuedo-set that comes out of Normal and Heroic instances. (It looks a little like the old Tier 1 set.)

Back pre-TBC, Tiers 1, 2, then 3, all of it was exclusively for the Restoration Shaman. Now they’ve given us Tidefury and I have no idea what Tier 4 Shaman gear looks like, I see it so seldom. (And when our Resto Shamans come to heal an instance in Tidefury, and don’t even throw an occasional lightning bolt… ummm, guys. Do some quests. +88 Healing vest is within reach!)

Dungeon set 3 may be elemental, but Kara mainly drops resto gear, and there are plenty of questable mail healing drops leading up to that. I don’t think Blizzard is telling you to go elemental, they’re actually saying “don’t go enhancement”.

Although if you do go enhancement you’ll make Aran cry.

We have one of each sort of shaman between our Kara teams regulars, I imagine that will continue into the 25 mans.

Chain Healing is pretty awesome. And I’ve seen Resto Shamans healing Heroics, so no problems there.

Elemental Shamans can do DPS. A lightning bolt is good for 1200+ normal, 2400+ crits. That adds up.

Enhancement are probably really good at picking up unwanted attention (mob on a clothie) and getting them back to the tank/s. And their DPS can be very high (alas, no aggro dump) and Shamanistic Rage.

And all of them can heal when needed to, all can do ranged DPS when a fight calls for it, all can cleanse disease and poisons, each can Rank 1 Earth Shock which is possibly the easiest interrupt out there, and all provide totem buffs that shouldn’t be ignored.

As to Kara going Resto, I use Kaliban’s loot list and you’re right, Kara isn’t the place to go for the Elemental gear.

Maybe the gear, and it’s placement in the timeline of a character, suggests the progression of the character.

Enhancement to get to 70. There’s more +AP gear out there, on the way to 70, since it caters to both Hunters and Shamans. +Spell Damage is rarer. I did pick up the +88 Healing chestpiece in Netherstorm.

Elemental to get into instances to gear up for Kara. Once you get into the instances that’s where you’re going to find more +Spell Damage gear.

Restoration once you’re in Kara and beyond. In Karazhan, and beyond, perhaps it’s back to the same old role as Heal Bot, so they provide the Heal Bot gear.

I know I have three places I can get an epic one-hander for Elemental: Slave Pens, Exalted with the Lower City, or Season 1 Gladiator’s Gavel.

My shaman (MALMI. SERVER-MALYGOS HORDE) was elemental from 1-40 and i switched it to enhancement. around 50 or so i switchd back to elemental and at lvl 60 back to enhancement. went to elemental around 64. at 70 i switched back to enhancement and a week later back to elemental. So i am currently elemental.
IMO, no i mean for a fact elemental does more dps than enhancement if they know what they are doing. I have NEVER specced resto and i dont plan to. Elemental shamans are rare on my server and i dont know why cuz they do the most dps.My shaman has heroic and gladiator gear and i do more dps than my guild master MCbull who is a enhancement shaman and has kara,ZA, and SSC gear. So fuck anyone that thinks elemental sucks.